We’re invested. Are you?

July 21, 2022  |  By Waterbury Roundabout

NOTE: The following also appears in the July 22 print edition of the Waterbury Reader newspaper. 

Dear readers, 

Since November 2020, The Times Argus and Waterbury Roundabout have collaborated to produce the weekly free Waterbury Reader newspaper.

Since November 2020, The Times Argus and the Waterbury Roundabout have been proud to be media partners in order to provide local news to more than 4,000 households in and around the town of Waterbury.

Our collaboration has been very worthwhile as a way to get relevant, timely information out to the community after the Waterbury Record newspaper folded in the early days of the pandemic. Together we’ve produced and brought our readers pictures and stories covering local government and schools, elections, COVID-19, businesses, events, organizations, and people of all ages (and even a fair number of animals). 

This community is fortunate to have its own dedicated news source that has both an online and print presence. And it is unique that every household can easily get valuable community news whether it has internet access or not.

But it is not free. It takes people – professionals – to gather and vet information; write and edit; post online, lay out for print, publish and distribute.

The Waterbury Record packed up because its publisher felt there was not enough community support for the local newspaper. While it had interest from readers, it suffered from a lack of advertising support.

We understand. 

Like the Record before it, the Reader is a newspaper of record for the town of Waterbury and the Harwood Unified Union School District. That’s important because it says that local government trusts the paper with its official public notices. 

But despite that support and the widespread appreciation we hear from readers,  the economics of this endeavor still don’t come close to covering the actual costs of producing local news for print and online publication. What you see online and in print relies heavily on volunteer hours and we think you would agree that’s not sustainable. 

We enjoy covering the news in our community and there is much potential to continue doing even more in the foreseeable future. We also feel strongly about keeping what we produce free both online and in print. Putting the Waterbury Roundabout website behind a paywall or charging for the Waterbury Reader would no doubt leave some people without access to local news. 

But we cannot accomplish either of those goals without an investment from the community – and that means ongoing support from our readers and local businesses.

What does that look like? 

First, if you own a business in or near Waterbury, advertise with us. Place an ad in the Waterbury Reader (which could easily get into the Times Argus, too). 

Businesses also can sponsor Waterbury Roundabout’s free weekly email newsletter that reaches more than 1,800 subscribers. If you’re a reader and a local resident, support those businesses who advertise and tell them you saw their ads so they know their investment is worthwhile. 

Second, make a contribution to the Waterbury Roundabout. It's especially helpful to have supporters who chip in monthly. Contributions go through its fiscal sponsor, the Vermont Journalism Trust (parent nonprofit to VtDigger), making them tax-deductible. Chipping in just $5 or $10 a month would be very helpful. Many thanks to the more than 200 supporters who have already given and to those who give regularly.

We know the Waterbury Roundabout and the Waterbury Reader have value to this community as reliable, trusted sources of local information. We’re proud of what we put together each week as we make every effort to keep these publications viable. 

So, just as we’re invested in the community journalism we produce each week, we ask for a similar investment from our readers and local businesses to keep the Reader and the Roundabout the go-to local news sources for Waterbury.  

Thank you for your support. And thank you for reading.  

Sincerely, 

Lisa Scagliotti, editor

Waterbury Roundabout 

Steven Pappas, editor 

Waterbury Reader/Times Argus 

To advertise in the print edition Waterbury Reader, call 800-244-2131.

Click here to support Waterbury Roundabout. For information on sponsoring the Roundabout’s This Week In Waterbury email newsletter, email juliabaileywells@gmail.com.